Hogging the show

Charles Bannerman
Bannerman - born in Kent but a proud Aussie nonetheless - scored the first Test century, in the very first match of all, in Melbourne in March 1877. By the time he had to retire hurt with a broken finger, Bannerman had made 165, which constituted 67.43% of the final total of 245. More than 2050 Test matches later, that - remarkably - remains a record.

Jim Laker
Probably the ultimate example of one man monopolising a match, or at least half the scorecard - in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford in 1956, the Surrey and England offspinner Laker followed figures of 9 for 37 in Australia's first innings with an even more eye-popping 10 for 53 in the second. No one has come close to his match figures since, in Test or first-class cricket. Some people suggest an even more remarkable statistic was that Tony Lock, Laker's combative Surrey spin twin, managed only one wicket in 69 overs on a pitch so helpful that the Aussies suspected foul play.

Vijay Hazare
The great Indian batsman Hazare's side was up against it in the final of the Bombay Pentangular tournament in December 1943: the Hindus had run up 581 for 5 before skittling the Rest, including Hazare, for 133. Following on, the Rest quickly subsided to 60 for 5, whereupon two Hazares proved better than one. Vivek Hazare wasn't much of a batsman - but his brother had obviously taught him a good defensive stroke, because he survived for five and half hours for 21... while Vijay hustled to 309. "I tried to play from both ends," he observed simply. The Rest still lost - but their innings of 387 remains the lowest to contain an individual triple-century.

Ian Botham
England's greatest allrounder turned the Golden Jubilee Test in Bombay in February 1980 - played to mark the 50th anniversary of the Indian board - into a one-man show, hammering 114 (the next-highest score was 43), in between taking 6 for 58 in India's first innings and 7 for 48 in their second. The only other man to score a century and take ten wickets in the same Test is Imran Khan, for Pakistan against India in Faisalabad in 1982-83.

Glenn Turner
The winner of the "good thing you turned up" award in county cricket goes to Glenn Turner, who carried his bat for Worcestershire against Glamorgan in Swansea in 1977, and scored 141 out of 169 - the next-best was 7, and the other ten batsmen managed only 14 scoring shots between them. "As each of them came out, in what looked like a disaster area," remembered Turner, "I told them there was nothing wrong with the pitch, but they didn't seem to believe me!" Turner's percentage of the innings total - 83.43% - remains the first-class record.

Harbhajan Singh
Few bowlers have monopolised the wickets column as Harbhajan did in the famous home series against Australia early in 2001 - the one in which India won in Kolkata after following on; they then pinched the series from the previously all-conquering Aussies with another victory, in Chennai. Harbhajan became the only bowler ever to take six or more wickets in four successive Test innings, grabbed India's first hat-trick for good measure... and finished the three-match series with 32 wickets. Next for India came Sachin Tendulkar and Zaheer Khan, with three apiece.

Vallance Jupp
One of the most heroic solo performances was turned in by the Northamptonshire allrounder Jupp, against Kent at Tunbridge Wells in July 1932. First Jupp, who had won eight England caps in the 1920s, took all ten wickets (for 127) as Kent made 360 on the first day. Then he top-scored in both Northamptonshire's innings. But Northants weren't very good in those days - they were about to embark on a record run of 99 Championship matches without a victory - and none of the other batsmen reached 20 in either innings. Kent won easily.

Muttiah Muralitharan
With the honourable exception of Chaminda Vaas, the ever-smiling Sri Lankan offspinner Muralitharan didn't have a great deal of bowling support during his illustrious career. He famously finished with 800 wickets in 133 Tests - and the combined tally of all his team-mates in those matches was 1270. Murali thus claimed 38.64% of all the wickets in the matches in which he played - a record percentage, just beating England's SF Barnes, who took 189 out of 494 (38.25%). Richard Hadlee (34.34%) comes next. No prizes for guessing who heads the corresponding run-making list: Don Bradman scored 24.28% of his team's runs when he played (6996 out of 28,810), with George Headley (21.38%) second.

Wayne James
The sometime Zimbabwean Test wicketkeeper James equalled the record for dismissals in an innings (nine) and broke the one for a match (13; since beaten) for Matabeleland against Mashonaland Country Districts in the final of the Logan Cup in Bulawayo in April 1996. Not only that, but he was out for 99 in the first innings, and had reached 99 not out in the second when his side won the match, courtesy a delivery from Alistair Campbell that went for four byes.

George Giffen
The great 19th-century allrounder Giffen specialised in long bowling spells - helped by the fact that, as he was often captain, he wasn't in danger of being taken off. For South Australia against Victoria in Adelaide in November 1891, Giffen took 9 for 96 in 50.1 overs, then bowled throughout the follow-on to add 7 for 70. That would have been impressive enough... but he had already hit 271 in South Australia's big total of 562.

Eddie Hemmings
When the England offspinner Hemmings signed up to play for an International XI against a West Indies team in a festival match in Jamaica in September 1982, he probably imagined a few gentle overs before relaxing with a rum or two. But the reality was rather different: the pitch was badly affected by rain, especially at one end, and - in order that the crowd could see some cricket - the captains agreed that only spinners should bowl from that end. Hemmings was the only genuine spinner in the visitors' ranks, so he ended up sending down nearly 50 overs in a row. He finished by taking all ten wickets - including the famed opening pair of Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge, not to mention Lawrence Rowe, Clive Lloyd and Jeff Dujon - for 175 runs, the most expensive ten-for in first-class history.

Brian Lara bellowing his arrival with 277 vs AUS.His incomparable series vs them in1999,and his one man show(600+)in a three match series,all in defeat,vs Murali & co in Sri lanka.If ever there was a lonely GIANT it has to be Lara.

sonipatX1
on November 20, 2012, 16:23 GMT

how come anil kumble's 10 for is missing?

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2012, 13:41 GMT

If you can include ODIs Sir Vivs 189 vs England with only #11 for company comes to mind...

khuddian
on November 20, 2012, 11:20 GMT

Some of these lists are nothing but exercises in time pass. How can you possibly think that you can include every monumental contribution in a list of 11. I mean with that much cricket played, there's got to lot more. Having just 11 of them is a disrespect to others. And to add to the irony, they decided to include First-Class matches too. Interesting no other but English county games are included. A far more better list would have been of such performances from each country. (I know cricinfo is not going to post my comment)

Quoteas
on November 20, 2012, 10:46 GMT

What about Nathan Lyons 14 out of 47. 30 % of a teams score by the number 11!

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2012, 8:05 GMT

Allan Border gets my vote. Carried Australia for a decade.

yocasi
on November 20, 2012, 4:17 GMT

How about Brian Lara's 180 out of 219 scored while he was at the crease in a 1994 Red Stripe Cup match vs Jamaica? Courtney Walsh was part of that Jamaica attack. Lara protected the Trinidad tail and almost single-handedly won the match for T&T.

harshthakor
on November 20, 2012, 3:45 GMT

I would also add George Headley's 270 n.o v England at Kingston in 1934-35 where he batted like a lone crusader.Gary Sobers 254 at Melbourne in 1972 could also be added.

Vinoo Mankad's all-round effort in 1952 was certainly amongst the 3-4 best one man efforts.

harshthakor
on November 20, 2012, 3:41 GMT

Ian Botham's superlative feat of a century and 13 wickets in the 1980 Jubilee test in Bombay stands out to me as the best ever cricketing performance.He took the game by the scruff of the neck dominating the game like an emperor commanding his knights.Botham literally ressurected England from the grave.Even Sobers has not equalled this.

Next I would place Imran Khan's effort at Leeds in 1982 when he captured 8 wickets and scored 141 runs.Infact he almost won the game for his country single-handedly with his 1st innings 5-49 and 75 n.o as his best efforts in the game.

Then I would remember Gary Sobers all-round performance at Kingston v.England in 1968 when he scored 113 runs and took 8 wickets and Mushtaq Muhammad's century and 8 wickets at Trinidad in 1977 which won the game for Pakistan.

Lara's 400 n.o.and 375 also stand out as well as his 501.I must applaud Shrikanth for remembering Vinoo's performnace in the 1952 test taking 5 wkts and scoring 184,which has to be added.

RostronRedbacks
on November 20, 2012, 2:30 GMT

Great article as unsual. The Cricinfo XI is my favourite section of the website. Not only great articles but the comments also provide plenty of chuckles. Do people not read the introductory comments to the article? Surely examples such as VVS's 281 do not qualify for inclusion due to the small fact that a bloke named Dravid made a lazy 180 in the same innings. I think it would be best if all future XI's are restricted to tests and first-class as well.

1983naps
on November 21, 2012, 1:05 GMT

Brian Lara bellowing his arrival with 277 vs AUS.His incomparable series vs them in1999,and his one man show(600+)in a three match series,all in defeat,vs Murali & co in Sri lanka.If ever there was a lonely GIANT it has to be Lara.

sonipatX1
on November 20, 2012, 16:23 GMT

how come anil kumble's 10 for is missing?

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2012, 13:41 GMT

If you can include ODIs Sir Vivs 189 vs England with only #11 for company comes to mind...

khuddian
on November 20, 2012, 11:20 GMT

Some of these lists are nothing but exercises in time pass. How can you possibly think that you can include every monumental contribution in a list of 11. I mean with that much cricket played, there's got to lot more. Having just 11 of them is a disrespect to others. And to add to the irony, they decided to include First-Class matches too. Interesting no other but English county games are included. A far more better list would have been of such performances from each country. (I know cricinfo is not going to post my comment)

Quoteas
on November 20, 2012, 10:46 GMT

What about Nathan Lyons 14 out of 47. 30 % of a teams score by the number 11!

dummy4fb
on November 20, 2012, 8:05 GMT

Allan Border gets my vote. Carried Australia for a decade.

yocasi
on November 20, 2012, 4:17 GMT

How about Brian Lara's 180 out of 219 scored while he was at the crease in a 1994 Red Stripe Cup match vs Jamaica? Courtney Walsh was part of that Jamaica attack. Lara protected the Trinidad tail and almost single-handedly won the match for T&T.

harshthakor
on November 20, 2012, 3:45 GMT

I would also add George Headley's 270 n.o v England at Kingston in 1934-35 where he batted like a lone crusader.Gary Sobers 254 at Melbourne in 1972 could also be added.

Vinoo Mankad's all-round effort in 1952 was certainly amongst the 3-4 best one man efforts.

harshthakor
on November 20, 2012, 3:41 GMT

Ian Botham's superlative feat of a century and 13 wickets in the 1980 Jubilee test in Bombay stands out to me as the best ever cricketing performance.He took the game by the scruff of the neck dominating the game like an emperor commanding his knights.Botham literally ressurected England from the grave.Even Sobers has not equalled this.

Next I would place Imran Khan's effort at Leeds in 1982 when he captured 8 wickets and scored 141 runs.Infact he almost won the game for his country single-handedly with his 1st innings 5-49 and 75 n.o as his best efforts in the game.

Then I would remember Gary Sobers all-round performance at Kingston v.England in 1968 when he scored 113 runs and took 8 wickets and Mushtaq Muhammad's century and 8 wickets at Trinidad in 1977 which won the game for Pakistan.

Lara's 400 n.o.and 375 also stand out as well as his 501.I must applaud Shrikanth for remembering Vinoo's performnace in the 1952 test taking 5 wkts and scoring 184,which has to be added.

RostronRedbacks
on November 20, 2012, 2:30 GMT

Great article as unsual. The Cricinfo XI is my favourite section of the website. Not only great articles but the comments also provide plenty of chuckles. Do people not read the introductory comments to the article? Surely examples such as VVS's 281 do not qualify for inclusion due to the small fact that a bloke named Dravid made a lazy 180 in the same innings. I think it would be best if all future XI's are restricted to tests and first-class as well.

__PK
on November 19, 2012, 21:04 GMT

I've heard a few of these stories before, but they're my favourites, so thanks Steven, this is the best article I've read in a long time.

OmanBiek
on November 19, 2012, 17:02 GMT

Where is Lara's one man upending of Aus in Barbados in 99????

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 14:32 GMT

No Pakistani? let me tell u, Saqlain Mushtaq in India Test Series 1998-99 (20 wickets in two tests with 4 x 5w hauls), Saeed Ajmal v England in UAE Test Series 2012 (24 wickets in three tests), M Yousaf v WI in 2006 scored 665 runs in five innings @ an avg of 133).
No West Indian? no one can forget Brian Lara who took along his national side for more than a decade with his lone hand, to mention a few of his epic performances, his 153* @ Barbados against Australia in 1999, tally of 688 runs in three match series in Sri Lanka in 2001-02.
There might b even more, which I can't recall as I am busy.

Selassie-I
on November 19, 2012, 12:03 GMT

@jonesy2 on (November 19 2012, 09:05 AM GMT) Well he certainly gave your lot a pasting a few times... even when he was very old and overweight he still ran through the Aussies!!

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 10:25 GMT

@avinash4 - Laxman was amazing, but Dravid and Harbajan helped out consideralby in Calcutta 2001 - we are taking about one man shows!
@jonesy2 - botham did average over 33 with bat, and 28 with ball. pretty damn good!

Wizza9994
on November 19, 2012, 10:23 GMT

I was looking at the scorecard for Vijay Hazare's effort, incredible! Aside from the second innings batting effort he also bowled 51 overs (taking three of the five wickets his side claimed) and top scored with 59 out of 133 in the first innings.

jonesy2
on November 19, 2012, 9:05 GMT

sorry but the line saying botham is englands greatest allrounder just shows how poor of a cricket nation england have been and are

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 9:05 GMT

Great article,although I was deeply shocked as there is no mention of one of the game"s all time great all rounder V.M.Mankad and his test match performance at Lords in 1952 against -probably best English test side. The match was known as Mankad Test.

denwarlo70
on November 19, 2012, 8:50 GMT

If ever there is something fascinating about cricket, there is a Sri Lankan somewhere on it which makes me feel so proud and the author has very correctly said "With the honourable exception of Chaminda Vaas" . Chaminda Vaas is the unsung hero of Sri Lanka cricket and that now is an open secret. Thnaks Mr. Lynch for the piece.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 8:46 GMT

What about Yousuf Pathan's 210* for West Zone in Deleep Trophy?
Highset successful 4th innings chase in First Class Cricket.

Stuart_online
on November 19, 2012, 7:42 GMT

Great article ! Some first-class feats I hadn't heard of before.
Jupp's 10-for also saw 16 wickets in the match by Freeman. Surely that will be a record for the highest percentage of match wickets shared by just 2 bowlers ? What about highest percentage of match runs shared by just two batsmen ?

avinash4
on November 19, 2012, 7:38 GMT

Where does vvs 281 epic innings stand then

nirmalzz
on November 19, 2012, 6:29 GMT

@subbuamdavadi , kapil's effort was outstanding, but steven is talking about first class cricket at here..
Hope he will consider ODIs in next episode..

analyseabhishek
on November 19, 2012, 5:21 GMT

Although i follow cricket keenly, I'm surprised that I hadn't heard of Eddie Hemmings' feat. Doesnt matter if it was a festival match on a spinner's track. 10 wickets against WI in those days mean something!

Mob_King
on November 19, 2012, 4:54 GMT

Casting my eyes down the list, I was surprised Richard Hadlee didn't make an appearance - until I noticed his mention in the Muralitharan entry.

A great list, thanks once again Steven for your hard work in unearthing these fascinating side-narratives.

subbuamdavadi
on November 19, 2012, 4:16 GMT

Kapil Dev's 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 Prudential Cup definitely warranted a look-in on this list...

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 3:39 GMT

On the weekend, one of our players scored 98 then took 6/9, including a hat trick. Easily the best display from a single player I have seen. I did feel bad for one of the opposition players who took 6 for about 20 and 50 odd - any other day he would have been easily the Man of the Match!

No featured comments at the moment.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 3:39 GMT

On the weekend, one of our players scored 98 then took 6/9, including a hat trick. Easily the best display from a single player I have seen. I did feel bad for one of the opposition players who took 6 for about 20 and 50 odd - any other day he would have been easily the Man of the Match!

subbuamdavadi
on November 19, 2012, 4:16 GMT

Kapil Dev's 175 against Zimbabwe in the 1983 Prudential Cup definitely warranted a look-in on this list...

Mob_King
on November 19, 2012, 4:54 GMT

Casting my eyes down the list, I was surprised Richard Hadlee didn't make an appearance - until I noticed his mention in the Muralitharan entry.

A great list, thanks once again Steven for your hard work in unearthing these fascinating side-narratives.

analyseabhishek
on November 19, 2012, 5:21 GMT

Although i follow cricket keenly, I'm surprised that I hadn't heard of Eddie Hemmings' feat. Doesnt matter if it was a festival match on a spinner's track. 10 wickets against WI in those days mean something!

nirmalzz
on November 19, 2012, 6:29 GMT

@subbuamdavadi , kapil's effort was outstanding, but steven is talking about first class cricket at here..
Hope he will consider ODIs in next episode..

avinash4
on November 19, 2012, 7:38 GMT

Where does vvs 281 epic innings stand then

Stuart_online
on November 19, 2012, 7:42 GMT

Great article ! Some first-class feats I hadn't heard of before.
Jupp's 10-for also saw 16 wickets in the match by Freeman. Surely that will be a record for the highest percentage of match wickets shared by just 2 bowlers ? What about highest percentage of match runs shared by just two batsmen ?

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 8:46 GMT

What about Yousuf Pathan's 210* for West Zone in Deleep Trophy?
Highset successful 4th innings chase in First Class Cricket.

denwarlo70
on November 19, 2012, 8:50 GMT

If ever there is something fascinating about cricket, there is a Sri Lankan somewhere on it which makes me feel so proud and the author has very correctly said "With the honourable exception of Chaminda Vaas" . Chaminda Vaas is the unsung hero of Sri Lanka cricket and that now is an open secret. Thnaks Mr. Lynch for the piece.

dummy4fb
on November 19, 2012, 9:05 GMT

Great article,although I was deeply shocked as there is no mention of one of the game"s all time great all rounder V.M.Mankad and his test match performance at Lords in 1952 against -probably best English test side. The match was known as Mankad Test.